Mask for the prevention and relief of allergic respiratory complaints



Jan. 12, 1937. J. B. BIEDERMAN 2,067,822

MASK FOR THE PREVENTION AND RELIEF OF ALLERGIC RESPIRATORY COMPLAINTS Filed April 11, 1936 A viz/1,, I

Inc/wage;

fitter-any Patented Jan. 12, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT IVEASK FOR. THE PREVENTION AND RELIEF OF ALLERGIC RESPIRATORY COMPLAINTS My invention relates to a device adapted to be used for the prevention and relief of allergic complaints suchas asthma and hayfever.

Allergic complaints such as those mentioned are usually caused by pollens and other similar substances in the atmosphere which enter the respiratory passages of a person subject to the complaint and set up characteristic disturbances from which the patient suffers. object of the present invention is to provide a device for removing such pollens and similar substances from the air before they are permit- 1 ted to enter the respiratory passages of the subject.

Similar devices or masks have been used in various industrial fields for the removal of dust and foreign substances incident to the particular employment. Suchmasks, however, operate by mechanical filtration, and are not effective for asthma and hayfever sufferers. I In the treatment of allergic complaints suchas those to which applicant's invention is directed, such industrial masks are found wholly'ineflectiv'e' for the reason that they do-not remove to a suflicicnt degree the microscopic .pollens which are the immediate cause of the disease. The

present invention proposes to remove dusts and pollens which when suspended in air assume positive or negative electrical charges by bringing the same'into proximity or contact with positively and/or negatively charged screens or filters. Thus the positively charged particles will be neutralized by a negatively charged-- screen and retained upon the surface of the discharging screen. Similarly, the negatively charged particles will be retained upon the surface of a positively charged screen. The polarization of the screen or screen's may be efiected either electrically or by the application of a discharging substance, either negative or positive. v

With the foregoing and other objects in view, a preferred adaptation of my invention comprises the following details of construction.

In the drawing:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a mask constructed in accordance with this invention.

Figure 2 is a section of said mask. v

Figure 3 is an enlarged section of a, portion of the mask.

Figure 4 is a view of a portion of one of the polarized screens.-

The numeral 6 indicates a mask adapted to fit over the respiratory organs of a person, that is, over the nose and mouth. The mask i is The principalsimilar material, and'is provided with outlet valves 2 which may be of anywell known form. Astrap '3 is provided for securing the mask to the face of the wearer. The front portion of the mask is provided. with a large opening 4 having a grooved'fiange 5 in which the fixed portion 6 of the filter housing is secured. The flange l of the housing is threaded to. receive a flanged ring 8. The inside of the flange I is provided with shoulders 9 and I0. Filtration screens II and I2 are provided, the screen ll being secured between ring 9 and the front of the mask, and screen I! being secured between the rings Ill. and 8, all of which is clearly shown in Figure 2 of the drawing.

In Figure 4 I have shown a portion of one of the filtration screens in a preferred form. It consists of a screen l3 of extremely fine metal mesh secured in a ring l4.

The screens I I and I2 may be effectively polarized by means of a small dry cell battery I5 which is secured in the structure by clamps (Hi-i6 at any convenient portion of the mask. The positive lead I1 is connected with the screen ll, and the negative lead l8 with the screen l2. The screens are, of course, insulated from each other.

The screens II and I2, as above indicated, may

also be electrically polarized by the use of electrically discharging substances of negative and/or positive polarization. Examples of negatively polarized substances are aluminum hydroxide' and iron hydroxide. An example. of a positively polarized substance is iron sulphide.

When the mask elements l3 are polarized by the application of such substances it will be understood, of course, that the same need not be of metallic construction but may be of fabric gauze or similar material.

While I have shown in the drawing a mask in which two oppositely polarized screens are provided, it will be understood that it may not under all circumstances be necessary to provide a plurality of screens, one screen either negatively or positively polarized being satisfactory where the pollens or other substances to be removed are all of a polarization opposite to that of the screen.

in the main, however, a plurality of oppositely preferably constructed of resilient rubber or is obvious too that the principle of my invention may be readily adapted to the removal of deleterious and floating substances from the air entering buildings ,or rooms. I do not wish, therefore, to be limited to the details of construction as described and shown in the, drawing, but consider as of my invention all such modifications and changes of details as come within the purview of the appended claims.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters 3. A device of the type specified comprising a mask adapted to cover the respiratory organs of the face of a person, said mask having an intake opening, a pair of screens in said openmK. said screens being electrically insulated from each other, a source of electrical energy, a lead from the positive pole of said source to one of said screens, and a lead from the negative pole to the other screen.

4. A device of the type specified comprising a mask adapted to cover the respiratory organs of the face of a person, said mask having an intake opening, a pair of screens in said opening, said screens being electrically insulated from each other, a dry cell battery, means for securing said dry cell battery to said mask, a lead from the positive pole of said battery to one of said screens, and a lead from the negative pole to the other screen.

' JOSEPH B; BIEDERMAN. 

